Girdle



R. PERRIER A ril 16, 1957 GIRDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 1, 1955 INVENTOR WM April' 16, 1957 R. PERRIER 2,788,524

GIRDLE Filed June 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR United States Patent GIRDLE Robert Perrier, Le Meridien Charbonnieres les Bains, France, assignor to La Gaine Scandale, Lyon, France, socit anonyme Application June 1, 1955, Serial No. 512,473

8 Claims. (Cl. 2-37) This invention relates to undergarments, namely elastic undergarments, and more particularly to undergarments of elastic fabric.

It is an object of this invention to provide an undergarment in the nature of a pantie, waistline girdle, foundation garment, in which novel contouring features are embodied in elastic fabric webbing to exert a body molding and shaping action, providing comfort as well as assuring a minimum amount of displacement or riding during use of the garment in respect of the body of the wearer.

The invention has as its object the provision of the features characterized by an elastic fabric blank in which the elastic constraining action of the garment made therefrom is, in a large measure, contour conforming to the primary curved surfaces of the hips, with the distensibility along lines in which maximum variations in curvature take place in use, thereby to minimize the effects of distension and subsequent relaxation of the fabric and to impart at those portions of the garment which cover the body, having in mind particularly the hips adjacent the Waist line, a preset three dimensional curvature in the plane of the garment conforming to the body in the relaxed condition of the garment, and more particularly arranging the elastic threads to have the primary elasticity arranged angularly in a direction diverging upwardly and rearwardly about the apex of the hip bone from the center of the garment toward the waistline in the rear.

Still more particularly, the invention has as its object the provision of an undergarment made from a single blank of elastic fabric, particularly elastic warp knit fabric, in which the main body of the garment has the elastic warp threads transversely of the body covering portion, with other portions adjacent the apex of the hip bone covering portion provided with short seam-forming cuts or darts, the principal axes of which seams or darts are angularly disposed in relation to the waistline and are extended rearwardly from adjacent the front central part of the body covering portion to the rear portion adapted to cover the apex of the hip bone, to convert the direction of the elastic threads from adjacent the center angu larly in an upwardly diverging and rearwardly extended direction, whereby contour-conforming outline is given to a normally flat web of elastic fabric in the quiescent condition of the fabric adjacent the portions adapted to cover the apex of the hip bone, particularly below the waistline.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Figure l is a front three quarter perspective view of a garment embodying the invention, as viewed from the right side of the body;

Figure 2 is a rear three quarter perspective view as viewed from the left side of the body;

"ice

Figure 3 is a fragmentary magnified plan view of a terminal end of a blank for making the garment;

Figure 4 is a magnified fragmentary portion of the garmerit;

Figure 5 is a magnified section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is :a fragmentary front elevation outlining the skeletal portion of the body;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is exemplified in the form of a pantie girdle 10, it being understood that this portion of the garment may constitute part of a waistline girdle, a one-piece foundation or all-in-one garment,

The garment in the main has a portion of elastic fabric, preferably warp knit elastic fabric, made of inelastic and elastic threads, with the primary elasticity running transversely, as shown by the directional arrow 11.

The lower edge 12 extends to cover the body below the thighs and is hereafter called the thigh band portion and may extend to cover the body adjacent the crest of the pubis. The upper edge 13 extends to the waistline covering portion and is hereafter called the waistband portion, there being provided reinforced sections 14 and 15 to each side of the center line 16, of a width sufficient to cover the umbilical region of the visceral cavity and preferably no wider than the groin area.

To each side of the central portion of the garment, hip sections 17 and 18 are provided with short seams 19, 19, 20, 20, 21, 21, which short scams or darts extend from the waistline portion 13 angularly downwardly and rear: wardly, to radiate symmetrically about the apex of the hip bone of the body to be covered. Short seams are formed by faggot stitching 22, and outlining segments 23, 23, 24, 24, 25, 25 which, about the hip portions 17 and 18, contour the hip portions substantially in a three-dimensionally upwardly divergent and rearwardly extended direction in the quiescent or fully contracted condition of the fabric.

Optionally, hosiery garters 29 may be fixed to the lower edge 12, and separably connected by buttons and buttonholes 30, or like fasteners.

From the waistband 13, the garment may be extended to provide, additionally, or a brassiere section to form an all-inone garment, retaining however the principle of the illustrated construction.

For further understanding of one method of making the garment, reference is made to Figure 3 which shows one terminal end 31 of the blank from which the garment may be made. In this construction, a fiat fabric 32 is employed, in which elastic threads are interwoven or knitted in the fabric forming process in the direction of the arrow indicating lines 11. The segment of the blank represents the right hand terminal section of a complete: encircling band described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, the lower edge 33 corresponding to the edge 12, the edge 34 being arranged to be folded to form the center seam line 16 pre- The blank 32 at its upper edge is cut from a length of fabric to provide upper edges 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 in stepped relation to each other, and then with short seam or dart forming edges 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, which are 'angularly directed rearwardly from the edge 36. The

Patented Apr. 16, 1957.

a higher waistline or belt portion, I

edges 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 are of dissimilar length and progressively increase in angular relation to the edge 3d.

A blank of the character described outlines segments 23, 24, and 25. With this fabric blank, edges 41, 82 43, 44, 45 and 46 are turned for a very short length to form folds 41a, 42a, 43a, 44a, 45a, 46a, and are held down by zigzag stitches 4'7. The folded edges described are then joined by the faggoting stitches 22. The faggoting stitching aligns the edges 36, 3'7, 33 and 39 with edges 40, thereby distending the shorter edges 41, 43, 45 to be ccterminus with the contiguous edges ;42, as and 4%, respectively, thus contouring the fabric from a normally flat series of segments tounitary hip forming segments 17 and 1 8. The joining of the ,edge of the short seam outlining edges to align the edges 36, 3.7., 38, .39 and 49 is accompanied by a tilting ofthe segments 23, 2s, 25 from their normal-position over the gap out between the segments, to present the direction of the elastic threads angularly, as described in connection with the directional arrows v26, 27 and'2-8, from that "in parallelism with the direction of the threads as outlined the arrows 11-11'to'the angularposition.

The *left hand terminal portion of the blank need not to be here described, as it is symmetrically finished, thereby to form the panels 14 and 15 which are joined to each other at the center line 16 by zigzag stitching 49.

The garment so produced, when worn, locates the sections 17 and .118 adapted .to cover the hips symmetrically about the apex X of the hip bone section of the hips, as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 6, generally conforming the fabric to the contour of the body at that point.

"The resultant garment not only has a high degree of comfort but during activity of the body the garment is retained in position with minimum evidence of creeping, displacement or riding, and presenting a substantially uniform distribution of the pressure by reason of the direction in which the elastic threads exert their pull and showing little, if any, relaxation or contraction of the threads in other portions of the garment about the body, such as the small or hollow of the back, upon relaxing the tension.

The angular change in the elastic threads, as evidenced by the directional arrows '26, '27 and 23 appears to locate the garment, during activity and relaxation of the wearer, in a manner not attainable by joining together curved edges of normally flat fabric segments.

'While the garment as described has been exemplified as made from an-integral blank, it is to be understood that the front or rear panels may be made of in'distens'ible material, it being considered that the essential features in the preferred form reside in the form conforming contour of the hip covering segments in the quiescent or contracted condition of the garment.

Likewise, while there has been shown the form conforming structure adjacent the waistline edge which, particularly in opposed relation to the garters 29, holds the garment against creeping from the predetermined position, it is possible to effect a form conforming outline adjacent the lower edge 12 and, thereby, in a measure avoid the need for stocking holding garters, in which event the angularity of the short seams is directed in a similar manner, to alter the direction of the elastic threads in each of the segments defined by the resultant darts, to obtain continuity of direction of such angularly directed elastic threads.

While the illustration shows three short scams or darts, to perform the conversion of the fabric into a contour conforming outline in the quiescent condition of the elastic fabric, it will be understood that the number of seams may be altered, depending upon the size and shape of the individual to be fitted by the garment, and whiie warp knit elastic fabric .has been described as preferred, it is understood that one-way or two-way elastic fabric may be substituted therefor.

Having thus described the invention and illustrated its use, what is claimed as new and desired 'to'be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An elastic undergarment of the class described havin a waistband portion as the uppermost edge, thigh band portions as the lowermost edges, and additional portions adapted to cover and encircle the body of the wearer to provide a molding and shaping action from the waist to the thighs thereof to extend at least from the uppermost edge at the waistband portion to :at least the lowermost edges at the thigh band portions comprising n-orma'lly flat distensible elastic fabric including elastic threads, with the elastic threads running substantially transversely having short seams in sets adjacent at least one of said edges, the short seams in each set being symmetrically located in relation to each other with one set to each side of the front longitudinal center line of the garment, the contiguous edges of the fabric which arejoined to make the seams being of dissimilar lengths with the longer of-said edges being more remote from the center line, the seams being angularly directed and extending .rearwardly from the center line of the garment, substantially contouring the surface of fabric adjacent the seams in the quiescent condition thereof.

2. An elastic under-garment of the class described having a waistband portion as the uppermost edg thigh band portions as the lowermost edges, and additional portions adapted to cover and encircle the body of the wearer to provide a molding and shaping action from the waist to the thighs thereof to extend at least from the uppermost edge at the waistband portion to .at least the lowermost edges at the thigh band portions comprising normally flat distensible elastic fabric including elastic threads, with the elastic threads running substantially transversely adjacent the hip segment covering portions, the waistband above said .hip segment portions each having short sets of scams which are each downwardly and angularly extended to at least the crest of the hip segment portions from the waistband portion providing therebetween segments joined in hip segment encasing contour in the quiescent condition of the fabric.

3. An elastic undcrgarment of the class described having a waistband portion as the uppermost edge, thigh band portions as the lowermost edges, hip segment portions, and additional portions adapted to encircle the body of the wearer to provide a molding and shaping action to extend at least from the uppermost edgeat the waistband portion to at least the lowermost edge at the thigh baud portions comprising normally fiat, distensible elastic fabric having short seams comprising darts adjacent the waistband portion, the darts being symmetrically located to each side of the longitudinal front center of the garment adjacent the hip segment portions, the darts having the center line thereof angularly directed rearwardly and downwardly from the waistband to contour the hip segmerit portions thereof in the quiescent condition of the fabric to correspond substantially to the hips to be covered, the fabric having mixed elastic and inelastic threads, the elastic threads in the main body of the fabric extending transversely of the garment, the elastic threads between adjacent darts extending upwardly angularly in the direction of the waistband.

4. An elastic undergarment of the class described hav ing a waistband portion as the uppermost edge, thigh band portions as the lowermost edges, hip segment portions, and additional portions adapted to cover and encircle the body of the wearer to provide a molding and shaping ac tion to extend at least from the uppermost edge at the waistband portions to at least the lowermost edge at the thigh band portions comprising a normally flat distensible elastic fabric including elastic threads having darts outlining angular segments adjacent the hip segment portions, the dart segments being joined by short seams which are angularly directed rearwardly from the front longitudinal center line of the garment, the elastic threads of the main body of the garment being transversely extended and the elastic threads in the segments between the short seams being directed angularly rearwardly and upwardly to the waistband to form a substantial contouring of the hip segment portions in the quiescent condition of the fabric.

5. An elastic undergarment of the class described having a waistband portion as the uppermost edge, thigh band portions as the lowermost edges, hip segment portions, and additional portions adapted to cover and encircle the body of the wearer to provide a molding and shaping action to extend at least from the uppermost edge at the waistband portion to at least the lowermost edge at the thigh band portions comprising normally fiat distensible elastic fabric including elastic threads having darts transverse to elastic threads thereof adjacent the waistband edge, extending angularly and symmetrically about the hip segment portion, each of the darts having the contiguous edges thereof comprising folds, the edges of which folds are joined by fagotiug stitching, the edges of the darts being of dissimilar length, contouring the fabric to the hip segment portion in the quiescent condition of the fabric.

6. A blank for making a body encircling garment comprising a flat elastic fabric having elastic threads and inelastic threads, the main body of the fabric having elastic threads throughout the length substantially normal to the center line of the front panel of the garment to be formed, waistband edge portions and lower thigh band edge portions being substantially parallel to the elastic threads, at least one of the edges having a plurality of dart defining cuts Whose contiguous edges are unequal and are of unequal length and angularly directed to the waistband in the same general direction, which contiguous edges when joined to form short seams, are at an angle to said edges to arrange the elastic threads angularly upwardly extended.

7. A blank for making a body encircling garment comprising a fiat elastic fabric having elastic threads and inelastic threads, the main body of the fabric having elastic threads throughout the length substantially normal to the center line of the front panel of the garment to be formed, waistband edge portions and lower thigh band edge portions being substantially parallel to the elastic threads, the waistband edge having a plurality of dart defining cuts whose contiguous edges are unequal and are of unequal length and angularly directed to the waistband in the same general direction, which contiguous edges when joined to form short seams, are at an angle to said waistband edge to arrange the elastic threads angularly upwardly extended.

8. A blank in accordance with claim 6, the contiguous edges defining the darts being of progressively increasing length from the vertical center line of the blank in the garment to be formed, rearwardly directed therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,160 Kops Feb. 25, 1902 2,323,717 Lewis July 6, 1943 2,409,601 Truesdell Oct. 15, 1946 2,632,165 Murdock Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,417 Great Britain of 1899 4,378 France July 12, 1905 

